Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and El Viejo Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and El Viejo

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 0.2% cheaper than El Viejo without rent, and 19.6% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 12.1% cheaper than El Viejo without rent, and 17.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.03 ฿64.6

$4.97 NIO 183

-59.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.59 ฿593

$34.82 NIO 1,282

-46.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 ฿238

$7.04 NIO 259

6.25%

Cappuccino

$2.00 ฿63.7

$2.43 NIO 89.5

-17.70%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ฿27.01

$0.83 NIO 30.58

2.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.21

$0.70 NIO 25.59

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ฿70.5

$1.33 NIO 49.11

66.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 ฿120

$1.95 NIO 71.8

92.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ฿54.8

$1.21 NIO 44.55

42.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ฿52.1

$2.47 NIO 90.8

-34.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 ฿36.93

$1.81 NIO 66.5

-35.91%

Eggs

$1.98 ฿63.1

$2.31 NIO 85.0

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.93 ฿508

$11.11 NIO 409

43.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ฿101

$6.75 NIO 249

-53.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿348

$8.24 NIO 303

32.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ฿84.3

$3.87 NIO 143

-31.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿38.98

$0.89 NIO 32.88

37.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 ฿54.1

$1.79 NIO 65.9

-5.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿50.7

$2.28 NIO 83.9

-30.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿42.21

$4.04 NIO 149

-67.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ฿37.25

$2.26 NIO 83.3

-48.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ฿21.61

$1.01 NIO 37.22

-32.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.76

$1.01 NIO 37.25

-44.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 ฿144

$2.59 NIO 95.3

74.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.07 ฿608

$14.58 NIO 537

30.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿56.4

$1.40 NIO 51.5

26.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ฿101

$2.26 NIO 83.1

40.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ฿30.70

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.90 ฿602

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿43.29

$1.49 NIO 54.7

-8.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿43.11

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 ฿256

$6.69 NIO 246

20.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ฿39.62

$1.31 NIO 48.29

-5.34%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.2K ฿674.7K

$22.6K NIO 833.1K

-6.46%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.8K ฿693.5K

$26.9K NIO 990.0K

-19.09%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$71.2 ฿2,271

$98.1 NIO 3,612

-27.39%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$14.09 ฿449

$17.23 NIO 634

-18.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.47 ฿557

$37.27 NIO 1,372

-53.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 ฿1,341

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.88 ฿219

Cinema Ticket

$5.94 ฿189

$7.77 NIO 286

-23.55%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$307 ฿9,799

$123 NIO 4,522

150.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿471.6K

$6,082 NIO 223.9K

143.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ฿1,775

$77.2 NIO 2,843

-27.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.79 ฿854

$71.2 NIO 2,620

-62.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 ฿2,653

$132 NIO 4,876

-37.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 ฿2,235

$110 NIO 4,040

-36.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ฿13.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,559

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 ฿25.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ฿16.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,061 ฿65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,533 ฿48.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$654 ฿20.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.25

-51.22%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

Last update for El Viejo: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

Minsk

🇧🇾 Belarus

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

Astana

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil